A Burned Spy in the Unchartered Territories
by AerynFi
Summary: What would happen if Michael Westen and Fiona Glenanne dropped in on the Moya crew? If you would like that question answered, read on!
1. Chapter 1

Crossover Fanfiction - Farscape and Burn Notice

In the Farscape universe this story takes place just after **The Peacekeeper Wars **so the end of the series. In the Burn Notice Universe it takes place just after the episode entitled **Where there's Smoke** when Fiona is kidnapped for ransom by two Mexican brothers. I don't know how many people out there will be interested in this story as it is an unusual crossover combination. But I will do my best to make it fun and interesting.

A Burned Spy in the Unchartered Territories

Chapter One

**Michael Westen**

Michael felt a bit woozy. Usually he had no problems waking up in the morning, it was generally more of a problem staying asleep. He groaned and felt for his second pillow but he couldn't find it. He opened his eyes but then he got up quickly in surprise. Instead of seeing the interior of his loft, Michael Westen saw an entirely different sight. He was in a room with a hard floor and strange metallic furnishings. The bed he'd been lying on was covered in a metallic gold bedspread. He looked around for a gun but as he was only wearing the tracksuit bottoms he usually slept in. He didn't have a gun. The air smelled different to the humid, tropical and salty scents of Miami Florida. It seemed cool and artificially clean. Michael realised he must be in some sort of air conditioned building, and possibly underground as he couldn't perceive any sort of outside breeze or natural light. He felt extremely confused and disoriented.

"I must have been drugged" he decided. Only drugs could account for the strange sleepiness he felt and the fact that he had no memory of how he had come to be in this strange room. He had no weapon, no phone, and no idea where he was. Michael examined the room and discovered that there was very little to discover. There was a set of metal doors linked to a push button control and a simple mirror up on the wall above a wash basin. He let his training take over and searched the room again. This time he found a simple knife concealed under the mattress. He took it with him and after activating the door controls, he left the room to explore his surroundings. Michael Westen's senses were on high alert and while he took note of the strange corridor with practised discipline, he couldn't help wondering what had happened to Fiona. He had fallen asleep with her in his arms and now he had no idea where she was.

**John Crichton**

Aeryn had awoken to the sound of John singing softly to baby Dargo.

"_I'd like to be, under the sea in an octopus's garden in the shade" _

The words were nonsense but the sound was soothing and comforting.

"What is that song?" she heard Chiana ask. Aeryn got up and walked out to the dining area.

"Hey Baby" John greeted. Dargo was sleeping peacefully in his arms.

"I thought he might be hungry" she said.

"No you fed him an hour ago and he's just drifted off again Aeryn"

"Commander Crichton" John's com was activated by Pilot's voice.

"Yeah Pilot" John answered.

"I require all of you on the main deck." he said. "There are two intruders aboard Moya and I don't know how they got here"

"Alright I'll be there" John gently passed Dargo to Aeryn and she retreated to their bedroom. Chiana and John quickly ran the quickest route to the main deck and John commed Rygel as they ran.

"Rygel get your butt up to the deck there's an intruder aboard Moya"

"How is that my concern Crichton?" Rygel responded grumpily. "You sort it out and let me finish my nap"

"Get your slimy green butt up to command" Crichton ordered.

Chiana arrived on command ahead of Crichton.

"Pilot have we got a visual?" Chiana asked. "Yes we do. See for yourself Chiana. They appear to be Sebacean."

Pilot transmitted an image from a DRD which showed a topless Sebacean man examining John's pet DRD 1812.

"Pilot you said there were two." Chiana reminded. "Where is the other one?" Pilot showed an image of a Sebacean woman wearing what appeared to be a loose fitting shirt but no pants. She seemed to be acting like a soldier because she was holding a pulse pistol at the ready as she stealthily looked around a corner. John arrived in time to see the second image. Pilot showed both intruders at once.

"Pilot can you zoom in please?" Crichton asked. Pilot obliged and they saw the man and woman up close.

"Look at their clothes!" Chiana exclaimed.

"What the yotz has happened that would justify waking me up!" demanded Rygel as he hovered in on his throne chair.

"Oh crap" said Crichton.

"John what's happening?" Aeryn asked through the com. "What did you find?"

"The intruders" Crichton answered her. He looked in closer at the images on the screen.

"They're human Aeryn. They're humans from Earth"

**Fiona Glenanne**

After Michael had robbed the Miami bank with Jesse he had returned to the loft to find Fiona waiting for him.

"Look at that" he said as he tossed a package onto the bed.

"From the look on your face Michael, I'm guessing that's not jewellery or money or anything fun" she said. He nodded. Fiona opened up the paper bag to find an old family bible. She opened it up and came to the same conclusion he had. It was a book code which had once belonged to Simon Escher. After talking for a while about whys and wherefores, theorising that got them nowhere. Michael hid the bible and Fiona borrowed one of his shirts to sleep in and cleaned her teeth using the toothbrush she kept at the loft. She settled herself into bed, taking care to place her gun under her pillow and watched him change into tracksuit bottoms before turning off the lights. He lay down beside her and pulled her close to him before his breathing evened out into the relaxation of sleep. Fiona had more trouble. The shoulder she had dislocated the previous day was hurting her, so she got up to get frozen peas from the freezer. Michael stirred and watched as she quietly moved around.

"Perhaps you should go to the doctor tomorrow Fi" he suggested.

"No it will be fine" she said dismissively. "The ice helps, and it's better than it was."

"Come back to bed" he said. "I sleep better with you than I do alone"

"You want to share with me and a bag of frozen peas?" she snorted.

"Sure" he answered. "I don't mind you bringing vegetables to bed" Eventually she had joined him on the old mattresses and she and Michael had drifted off. He held the peas in place until he succumbed to sleep again and she soon followed him. The last thing she remembered was Michael muttering in Arabic. He'd talked in his sleep for as long as she had known him.

Fi's shoulder woke her up and she felt for the peas. They were nowhere to be found and she was lying on a flat surface. Had she fallen out of bed?

"Michael?" she groaned. She opened her eyes and quickly realised she was no longer in Michael's loft. She had her gun in her hand and she appeared to be in some kind of machine shop. The ceiling was high and there were packing crates and some sort of vehicle sharing the space with her. She got up and held her gun at the ready. Fiona looked around. She could hear strange noises. It was like being on a ship or in a quiet field next to a school at playtime. There was lots of activity going on but she wasn't close enough to hear anything more than a buzz as all the separate noises combined. Then suddenly she heard a noise which was all too close. Someone was in the room with her. She quickly hid herself behind some crates and looked to the source of the sound.

A strange green animal which looked like a cross between a frog and a sloth was hovering on a sort of chair and muttering to itself in a language she had never heard before. It moved through the room and exited by pushing a button which seemed to activate the door controls. Two double doors opened to let it through and then closed behind it. She knew there was a reason she hated to take painkillers. "How did I let Michael give them to me?" She was annoyed with herself. But she realised that she hadn't actually taken any medication. Michael had suggested it but she had said she had an early meeting and didn't want to sleep through it or postpone it.

"If I didn't take any drugs and I ate the same takeaway chinese food for dinner I've eaten one hundred times before. If I went to sleep next to Michael how could I possibly have drugs in my system?" she whispered the questions to herself. The next one she merely thought. "Where is Michael and why can't I remember how I got here?"

**Aeryn Sun**

"What do you mean they're from Earth?" Aeryn asked incredulously. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know Aeryn" John answered. He had that tone in his voice which always signalled that a wormhole or some other Crichton obsession was near. "She's wearing a men's shirt and he's wearing blue tracksuit pants. Pilot zoom in on her weapon will you?" Pilot did as he was asked and the curious onlookers observed that the woman was not holding a pulse pistol as they had previously thought, but an earth weapon. A 45 calibre hand gun to be precise.

"Look at him" John pointed. "Look at how fit he is. I bet you anything he's some kind of military. I don't know what to make of her" he said. "But she obviously knows how to use a weapon" They all turned toward the image of the woman.

"She kind of reminds me of Aeryn" Chiana commented. "But not"

"Okay I'm coming up there" Aeryn said. She put Dargo in his sling and gun at the ready she travelled the short journey to the command deck where her shipmates were staring at the screen in front of them.

"What did I miss?" she asked.

"Two more humans" Rygel said in disgust. "As if one weren't enough"

Aeryn's eyes followed the images on the screen.

"Pilot where are they?" she asked

"The man is in corridor three on deck seven and the woman is in cargo bay five" Pilot answered efficiently.

"You say you have no idea how they got here?" Aeryn asked

"None at all Officer Sun" Pilot told her. The DRDs first discovered them about ten microts ago and as soon as we became aware of them we alerted you. There was a strange energy pulse outside about fifteen microts ago, but it didn't appear to harm us at all and I thought it unimportant"

"Oh very unimportant" shouted Rygel. "You moron Pilot. You see an energy burst and then you don't bother to tell us. What if it was a real threat?"

"Whoa Sparky" said John trying to placate him. "Pilot didn't do anything wrong"

Aeryn stepped closer to John as they watched the two humans on the screen. The woman had found her way out of the cargo bay and into the corridor outside. The man on deciding the DRD was no threat to him was behaving much like the woman had been. He was carefully looking around corners and using what little cover there was to move around the ship. It was unlikely that the two would meet anytime soon because they were on different tiers. Crichton suspected that they knew very little about space travel.

"We should get a DRD to knock them out and then put them in the gaol for testing" said Rygel.

"Rygel's right" Aeryn agreed. "Not about the testing" she explained. "I don't think they know where they are and I'd like to ensure they are not a threat before we talk to them"

"They're practically unarmed Aeryn" Objected Crichton. "She's got an Earth gun" Aeryn pointed out. "And he's got a knife and they both look like they know how to use weapons. Do as Rygel says"

"Pilot can you please have the DRDs knock our intruders out with some kind of sedative to make them unconscious?" John asked. "And while you're at it give them translator microbes too?"

"Yes Commander Crichton" said Pilot. They all watched as first the woman and then the man were shot with tiny barbs which soon made them pass out.

"Thankyou Pilot" said Crichton.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: A Burned Spy in the Unchartered Territories**

**Michael Westen and Fiona Glenanne meet the Crichton-Suns**

Again Michael woke up on a hard floor in another part of the strange facility he had been taken to. He looked ahead of him and saw a wall and two more of the double doors which seemed to be standard in all the rooms. Suddenly he heard a sound; a small feminine whimper made his heart stop. He leapt to his feet and saw Fiona on the floor behind him. She was dressed in his shirt and a pair of what looked like leather pants. He looked down at himself and realised he had a strange top on with his tracksuit pants. He knelt down to wake Fiona and check that she was uninjured.

"Fi, Fi Can you hear me?" He touched her face and she opened her eyes and blinked.

"Michael?" she asked in confusion. "Where are we Michael? How did we get here?"

"I don't know Fi" he answered. "Can you get up?"

"Yeah" She looked up at him, then she looked down at herself. "You really can't remember anything either?"

"The last thing I remember is waking up in a room similar to this one, leaving it, walking through some corridors and seeing a little robot on wheels. Then I woke up and you were here"

"I saw…. ah I'm not sure what I saw" Fiona said thinking of the strange animal hovering through the air.

"Hey guys"

Michael and Fi both turned toward the voice and saw a man in his late thirties and a thin dark haired woman with a baby.

"Ah, hey" Michael replied uncertainly.

"You two look like you're from Earth" Crichton said.

Michael and Fiona exchanged a look and then turned back to their captors. Michael took charge and started with an offensive tactic. He wanted the man and woman to think they had the wrong people, although he was confused by the presence of the child.

"Look my girl and I were like passed out in this crappy apartment over the club and like… we're sorry we didn't know it like belonged to anyone….." Michael affected a different accent and tried to sound slow or like someone who had smoked out some of his brain cells from excessive cannabis use.

"Yeah we're like really sorry" Fiona giggled.

"John what are they doing?" Aeryn asked.

"They think we kidnapped them" he translated aptly. "They have no idea where they are or how they got here"

"Hey he's right man" Michael chimed in. "I can't remember much but if I owe you I got people man. I can get you what you need"

Aeryn stepped forward while holding Dargo against her chest protectively. She addressed Fiona.

"Do you have a child?" she asked. Fi was good. Not much would make her stop playing a role once she'd started. But she couldn't forget the creature she'd seen earlier, and she sensed that something bigger was going on here. She glanced toward Michael who gave her no direction. Fiona hoped she wasn't making a huge mistake. She broke character.

"No I don't" Fiona replied.

"Then you'll have to take my word for it that if you or he makes any attempt to hurt my child, I will shoot both of you without a second thought." Aeryn said.

"What is his name?" Fi asked.

"Dargo, named for a member of our crew who died while saving us" Aeryn said. While the two women surveyed each other guardedly, Crichton made a decision.

"My name is John Crichton" He told the prisoners. "I was a United States astronaut. This is my wife Aeryn Sun and our son Dargo." He hit the door controls and removed the barrier between his family and the intruders. "Follow me. Showing is always better than telling"


	3. Chapter 3

**A Burned Spy in the Unchartered Territories - Chapter Three**

**John Crichton**

Neither John nor Aeryn looked back as they lead Michael and Fiona through two tiers and twice as many corridors on the way to the command deck. Fiona and Michael both looked behind them to see that they were being followed by four more of the little robots on wheels. Michael wished he had a gun, but he didn't dwell on the thought for too long. Both the man and the woman were unarmed, but both wore holsters. This suggested that they had made a tactical decision to greet their prisoners without weapons. Michael hoped this was a good sign, but nothing about this situation was usual. He didn't know what these people wanted, why they had taken him and Fiona or even where they were. His greatest fear was that an enemy would kill or harm Fiona in front of him in an effort to manipulate him. He easily quashed the instinct to touch her. He'd had a lifetime of practice in hiding his emotions so he focussed on memorising the route from the holding cell to wherever they were going now.

"Crichton have the humans tried to kill you yet?" an annoyed Rygel could be heard from some kind of cell phone on the man's chest.

"No Sparky we're all playing nice at the moment" John answered. "We're bringing them to up to meet the family. Get to command and bring Chiana." John turned to address Michael.

"So you're some kind of military right?" he asked. Michael didn't answer, so John turned to Fiona. "You know how to handle yourself but you're not conventional military I'd guess?" Again Crichton got no response so he continued. "We watched you on the DRD cameras after you guys woke up. We could tell from the way you armed yourselves and were looking around corners that you were both trained. Sorry about knocking you out, but we wanted to make sure we could all communicate before we let you near the baby or the other members of the crew who don't look human. Sparky especially is a bit of a shock. He looks a bit like Yoda"

"So you guys are _Star Wars_ fans?" Michael said with a raised eyebrow.

"Does everyone from your planet talk about _Star Wars_?" Aeryn asked. "When John first came aboard he was always comparing things and people and places to _Star Wars_. When I finally saw the film it really did not live up to my expectations."

"It's a male thing" Fiona contributed.

They walked through the doors to command and both Fiona and Michael were impressed by what they saw. It looked like they were looking out from a spaceship onto an unknown universe. Fiona walked forward and put her hand on the glass which separated them from the space outside.

"This is pretty cool" she said. There was nothing else to say. Michael was looking around trying to locate something he could use as a weapon, or a phone which wasn't being used. Both John and Crichton had them, but if there were other crew members he might be able to get one elsewhere. Fi turned back to say something to Michael, but she stopped. Her eyes widened with surprise and fear and Michael turned behind him to see what she was frightened of.

He saw Rygel.

"So these are our uninvited guests? What do they want?" Rygel had entered on his throne sled and neither Michael nor Fiona had any idea what to do or how to handle the situation. Michael did something he almost never did. He pulled Fiona toward him and behind him so he could protect her with his body. There was no doubt in his mind that the creature before him was a living being.

"What is that?" he asked John

"That is Rygel" John answered him. "And in case you are wondering. You are really on a space ship, that is really space outside and this is a real alien from another planet"

"I am Dominar Rygel the XVI and you are preventing me from re-claiming my throne on my native Hyneria" said Rygel. "They better not eat all of our food Crichton"

"Hi all" Chiana greeted them and sashayed into the room. "More humans. I hope these ones are more fun than most of the ones we met on Earth"

Michael turned toward this potential new threat. He really really wanted a gun.

"Okay guys. I know this is a lot to take in, but here's the deal. I am a human from Earth, Aeryn looks human but she's actually a Sebacean. Chiana is a Nebari and Rygel is a Hynerian."

"How did we get here?" Fiona asked from behind Michael.

"We're not sure" Aeryn answered. Pilot told us there was an energy pulse just before he saw you through the cameras. Then when we observed your appearance and your behaviour we knew you were from Earth. We were under the impression that there is no fast reliable way back to Earth, and since you didn't come in a ship we really don't know how you came to be here." Aeryn handed Dargo to Chiana and stepped toward Michael. "We are about to have something to eat. Then we can try to answer some of your questions. We'll work out what we are going to do next."

Fiona stepped out from behind Michael. "Have you got anything to drink? This is a lot to take in"

"Nothing at the moment" said John. "But I know exactly how you feel"


	4. Chapter 4

**A Burned Spy in the Unchartered Territories – Chapter Four**

**Aeryn Sun**

Pilot appeared on the clamshell and the two newcomers looked at the image in shock.

"Commander Crichton a Peacekeeper ship has just appeared on the outer limits of Moya's senses" Pilot announced.

"Do they know we are here Pilot?" Chiana asked.

"Yes, and their Captain is asking permission to speak to Crichton" Pilot relayed.

"Patch the message through" Aeryn said.

The two new humans from Earth were not exactly forgotten, but everyone turned their attention to the screen as a previously unknown Peacekeeper Captain appeared before them. He was a black man of solid build and an uncompromising demeanour. He spoke first.

"My name is Commandant Tobrok Liarn. I extend my Greetings to you Commander Crichton, Officer Aeryn Sun, and to the rest of the crew of your leviathan"

"Thankyou" Crichton responded. His tone seemed friendly and unconcerned, but Michael sensed that John Crichton was on his guard. Aeryn stood behind her husband with their child in her arms, and the Peacekeeper Captain shot her a brief look of disgust. Fiona did not fail to notice that look.

"We wish to ask a favour of you and your crew at this time" Liarn continued. "I would like to send a small team of two diplomats and two attendants aboard your ship to write a news story about the recent treaty and to interview you about your part in it. This story would serve to inform the peacekeepers of important details and will be filed in our history data banks.

"So you want to send the intergalactic paparazzi aboard to interview the soldiers of the hour" John stated.

"No" Aeryn said forcefully. She held Dargo close to her body as she addressed the man on the screen. "You will send no diplomats and we will give no interviews Commandant Liarn. Pilot end the transmission." The image and audio was cut abruptly.

"Well that was rude" said Chiana.

"Why can't you keep your mouth shut woman?" said Rygel.

"What did I do?" asked Chiana.

"I meant Aeryn" said Rygel. "There is a reason why soldiers shouldn't negotiate deals. You have no tact, no finesse, no diplomacy skills at all!"

"Oh shut up Rygel" said Aeryn as Dargo started to fuss. "I'm not letting any Peacekeepers anywhere near my baby. They think he's an insult to racial purity."

"Well at least now they know what's what" said Crichton. "I doubt that there's any way we could have said 'no' that they'd be happy with Sparky. Not even with your razzle dazzle."

"So uh" Fiona's voice sounded louder than normal. "Who was that?"

"Peacekeepers" Aeryn answered. "I used to be a Peacekeeper. We are raised as part of the military on a Command Carrier in space. We helped facilitate a truce between the Peacekeepers and the Scarrens, but neither side really likes us. They fear us" she clarified.

"So you were raised as a soldier from childhood?" Michael asked.

"Yes" Aeryn answered briefly.

"Come on everyone" said Chiana. It's time to eat."

Even with the few words they had exchanged, Aeryn could tell that Michael Westen was not innocent and soft like Crichton had been when he'd first joined the Moya crew. The difference between them was that Michael and Fiona were already soldiers, while Crichton had transformed into one through necessity. She had encountered very few real soldiers during her stay on Earth as she and the Moya crew has usually been accompanied by private security guards who never conversed with them. These two embodied discipline and intelligent creativity. She sensed they were elite. Both of them were less emotional than John. They had their fear firmly under control.

"Luckily for you two, we have enough supplies for everyone at the moment" said Crichton as they walked down yet another corridor. Chiana and I did some cooking earlier so we have stew and some fresh fruit. It's pretty decent food. Take a seat." He indicated toward the dining table and the chairs in the galley kitchen. Bowls and utensils were stacked neatly next to a pot of stew and another bowl containing fruits which looked like custard apples.

"We also have water" said Chiana as she fetched a jug and cups. "Nothing stronger though."

Michael and Fiona still looked wary but they sat down and accepted the food John placed in front of them.

Pilot's voice was then heard through the comms.

"Moya is nervous about the close proximity of the Peacekeeper Command Carrier" he informed them. Prepare to starburst in ten microts"

"Is that wise John?" Aeryn asked. "Shouldn't we stay here to see if these two arrived via wormhole?"

"No we shouldn't" Rygel said in annoyance. "We were on our way to Hyneria before these fahrbot humans came on board. I demand we keep going. My subjects demand the return of their true Dominar"

"Well the quicker we get there the sooner we'll be rid of him" said John.

"Moya and I have marked in our logs the exact position we were in when we first noticed the humans" said Pilot. "We can return here if we need to, besides which there was no evidence of wormhole activity when they appeared."

At that the ship surged forward into Starburst and Moya left the Peacekeeper Command Carrier far behind.


	5. Chapter 5

"A Burned Spy in the Unchartered Territories"

Chapter Five

After a quiet meal with very little conversation and much slurping, Rygel, Aeryn and Chiana left the small kitchen and left Crichton with Fiona and Michael. John hadn't lied about the food. It was good, but Michael keenly felt the absence of yoghurt.

"Come on guys" Crichton addressed Michael and Fiona. "I bet this is all overwhelming for you, so while Aeryn and the others go back to their regular programming I'll show you to your quarters and give you a bit of a tour of the ship."

On the way to one of the spare cells on a lower deck Crichton kept up a steady stream of chatter. He pointed out features like door controls and offered advice on how to best remember the layout of the corridors and tiers. Although neither of the newcomers said anything, Crichton knew they were drinking in every word he said. Michael and Fiona never relaxed their attention.

"Guys I know you must be tired" Crichton said when he reached his destination. "I'm going to be honest with you. I don't know how you got here and I don't know if you'll ever be able to get back to Earth. We're a tight knit group and we look out for each other. There are worse places to be in the universe. Rest for a while, try to get your head around this. If you want to wander around com me first." He handed each of them a small badge-like com, the item which substituted for a cellular phone on Moya. "Chill for a few arns" Crichton advised. "After you've had a break I'll take you to see Pilot, and in a couple of days' time we'll reach Hyneria. Sleep tight." After these parting words Crichton left and closed the door behind him by waving his hand over a sensor.

"Do you think he'll give me my gun back?" Fi asked after he was out of hearing range.

"I doubt it" Michael answered. "Do you trust them?" he asked her abruptly.

"We're on a spaceship Michael, how the hell should I know?" she answered snippily. Fiona rubbed her shoulder in discomfort and sat on the gold coloured bed.

"Do you need more ice on that?" he asked

"Yeah probably" Fi answered as she flexed the offending shoulder and winced at the pain which came with the action.

"Come on" Michael said. "There might be ice in that room where we ate"

Michael mimicked Crichton's hand gesture over the door sensor control and they went out again into Moya's corridors.

"Look at that one" Fi said indicating a red striped DRD. The DRD was different from the others. It had the numbers "1812" painted on it and was working on an electrical conduit with another yellow DRD.

"All the others are yellow" Fiona observed.

"It's his" Michael said with conviction. "He painted it. There are no other Arabic numbers anywhere else in this ship."

They shared a look of understanding and at that moment they both accepted their situation. They were not being conned. They were actually on a real spaceship and far away from their home planet.

"It's this way" Michael indicated. With acceptance came power. Now they could act because they were no longer blinded by confusion. They could gather intelligence and they could protect each other.

After making no wrong turns they arrived back at the kitchen to find Aeryn feeding her baby. She looked up briefly and offered a greeting. Fi wondered if she'd known they were coming. The whole ship seemed to be under surveillance.

"Hello" Fi replied. The two women watched each other for a moment. It seemed like Aeryn was waiting for one of them to speak.

"I dislocated my shoulder the day before we appeared here and I was hoping there would be ice somewhere. If I put ice on my shoulder it will keep the swelling down." Fiona explained. Aeryn pointed toward a metal door.

"You will find what you need in there" she said. "Crichton often uses 'ice packs' on his injuries. They don't really help anyone else though"

Michael opened the hatch on the container and found a package which was lumpy and cold.

"This?" he asked Aeryn

"No" Aeryn said with a shake of her head. "They are marjools. Rygel's food" Michael returned the marjools (whatever they were) and held up a different package for Aeryn to inspect.

"That should be fine" she said. "It's just vegetable matter"

"Intergalactic frozen peas" Fiona said as she took the package from Michael.

"I know that John wanted you to rest for a while" said Aeryn. "But I was raised a soldier and I prefer a different way to cope with stress. Would you rather practice with some weapons? I can take you down to the training room. Chiana can watch the baby."

Fiona looked toward Michael and received only a blank stare.

"That sounds good" she answered. "Crichton also mentioned meeting your Pilot?"

"Weapons first" Aeryn said. "Then Pilot"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Aeryn took the two humans down to the section of the cargo bay which served as a makeshift shooting range. She gave each of them a pulse pistol and then gave them clear and careful instructions on how to use them.

"Pulse pistols operate on a completely different firing system to Earth guns" Aeryn explained. "The components which make up the weaponized clips are not static but moving. I don't really know how to explain it, but the chemicals and electric charge inside a pulse pistol make it completely different to Earth guns because in an Earth gun the metal bullet that sits inside won't do any damage unless it is pushed out or fired forwards. In a pulse pistol you can overload the pulse chamber if you activate it and then don't fire it in time. You have to get used to keeping track of how many shots you've fired and how long it has been since you activated the pulse chamber"

Michael and Fi got used the feel of their new weapons and were soon taking turns with Aeryn to fire at different targets. As their session went on the shots were more and more challenging. Aeryn was a far better shot than either Michael or Fiona.

"How do you do that?" Michael asked in surprise after she hit a target he couldn't even see.

"I have reason to believe my eyesight is better than Crichton's" Aeryn explained. "I expect my species as a whole has better eyesight than yours. I also have the benefit of a lifetime of practice."

At this point, Rygel entered their practice room on his throne sled.

"I came to see if the humans will be any use to us" he announced.

"They seem to be better with weapons than Crichton was when he first came on board" Aeryn told him.

"Really?" Rygel said in surprise. "They look insipid."

After hearing this comment, Fiona aimed the pulse pistol just above Rygel's head and made a scorch mark mere inches from his left eyebrow.

"Aaah" Rygel cried out. "She tried to shoot me!"

"No she didn't" Michael told him. "If she'd wanted to shoot you, you'd be dead."

"I don't like being called 'insipid'" Fiona told him.

"Well around here we don't shoot at other crew members" Rygel said angrily. "There are usually enough Peacekeepers around to do it for us."

"Peacekeeper command carrier is approaching" Pilot's voice came though the coms.

"Speak of the Fahbot morons" Rygel said.

"Will be close enough for contact in eleven microts" Pilot continued. Aeryn spoke into her com:

"John, Chiana, Noranti get to command" she instructed. "Pilot is this the same command carrier we spoke to before?" she asked

"No, Moya believes it is a different one" Pilot said. "Commander Crichton, should we let them establish contact? Moya will be able to starburst but would prefer not to. She's tired."

"We'll talk to them Pilot" John confirmed.

"Come on you two" Aeryn said. "Bring your weapons, we're going back to command"

"You stay away from me!" Rygel ordered Fiona.

Again, they made their way through corridors and doorways on their way to the command deck. Once there, the view out to space was just as amazing as before, but now the two humans saw it with new eyes. Now they accepted what they saw. The stars were burning up in strange galaxies and Michael and Fiona were forced to consider the possibility of a multitude of planets and species. Michael blinked. Fantasy had become their reality, and as a person who lived his life in reality, he had to deal with what was in front of him.

Crichton was holding his baby and looking out the command window at a giant spaceship. The peacekeeper command carrier was huge. It looked like it could carry all the inhabitants of a small country and sustain them indefinitely. Chiana was waiting with another person they hadn't met yet. An old woman from the looks of her, but she seemed to have a third eye in the middle of her forehead. She smiled and approached them.

"Hello you must be the two new humans I've heard so much about" she said as she offered her hand to them. They both shook hands with her warily. Fiona tried not to wrinkle her nose. Noranti smelled terrible.

"My name is Noranti and I have been travelling on this lovely Leviathan for over a cycle now. I can vouch for Moya to say she is a wonderful vessel, and the crew members are all quite competent and pleasant too. Will you be joining us for any length of time?" she asked

"Umm" Fiona answered.

"But where are my manners!" Noranti interjected before Fiona could say anything else. "I don't believe anyone has asked you your names yet! What are they?"

"I'm Michael" Michael answered. "And this is Fiona"

"The peacekeeper commander is asking to speak to Crichton" Pilot informed them.

"I will speak to him" Rygel announced with all the aplomb he could muster.

"Have at it Sparky" said Crichton as baby Dargo started to fuss.

"Give him here" Aeryn said. "He's hungry."

Pilot put the video image of the Peacekeeper captain up on the command window so everyone could see.

"I address the honourable Commander John Crichton of the Leviathan Moya…." Began the man on the screen.

"Today you will be speaking to me" Rygel interrupted. " I am Dominar Rygel the XVI and all negotiations will go through me."

"Oh for pity's sake" said Aeryn from the side of the room where she was nursing.

"Is that Officer Aeryn Sun?" the unnamed captain asked.

"Yes" said Rygel. "But as a soldier she lacks the finesse necessary for negotiations such as these."

"Aeryn will you speak to me?" asked the captain again. "We used to know each other a long time ago"

Aeryn looked up at the man on the screen and she smiled.

"We did. What is it you want?" she asked.

"An interview with John Crichton" he explained. "For our data records."

"You come aboard alone, and we will give you your interview" Aeryn said with finality.

"I am negotiating with him!" Rygel exclaimed in outrage.

"Ah, Honey?" Crichton said to Aeryn. "Can I speak to you for a minute?"

"Hmmm?" Aeryn said as she looked up from Dargo.

"Pilot cut the transmission please" Crichton asked. The screen reverted back to being a portal to space again. Michael and Fiona could see stars and the other huge spaceship.

"Any reason why you suddenly want to let a peacekeeper aboard for an interview when only a few hours ago you didn't want any peacekeeper anywhere near our baby?" Crichton inquired.

"His name is Ronan Dry" Aeryn explained. "He will record the truth. He won't exaggerate or make nasty comments about Dargo. He is the historian we want to record our story John." Aeryn said.

"Ok" Crichton said. "Pilot open up the transmission again please" Crichton asked. The peacekeeper again appeared onscreen.

"My commander wants to send two other soldiers with me" the man said.

"We will permit that" Crichton said.

"Very well" the man said. "I will arrive in your cargo bay in half an arn" The screen again disappeared.

"So we are allowing not one but THREE peacekeepers on board" said Rygel in anger. "You have gone completely fahbot!"

"Calm down Sparky" Crichton said. "If Aeryn says it's okay, then it's okay"

"I'm not convinced that Aeryn's judgment can be trusted" said Rygel. "She did have a baby with you after all"

Chiana approached Michael and Fiona.

"We'll be going down to the cargo bay to meet the peacekeepers" she said. "I recommend taking guns as these things don't always go to plan"

"Any chance we can get our Earth gun back?" Michael asked her. "Pulse pistols are better" Chiana said. "Didn't Aeryn give you one while you were practicing?"

"Yes she did" Michael told her. "She even gave us holsters, but I'd really like our gun back." Chiana shrugged.

"I don't know where Crichton put it" she said. "Just use the pulse pistols."

"What do you think about them letting peacekeepers aboard?" Fiona asked.

"We generally get ourselves in trouble no matter what we do" Chiana said with a shrug. "Some more visitors will make the day more interesting. I don't know why Aeryn invited them. She might be bored, or feeling homesick for her Command Carrier. It doesn't really matter."

Michael and Fiona noticed that Chiana seemed a bit sad and depressed. But there was no time to wonder why. Everyone was now going to the cargo bay to meet the peacekeeper journalist and the two newest crew members didn't want to be left behind.


End file.
